


Morning Rush

by BreeZ_Claire



Series: As Days Go By [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bromance, Comedy, Fluff, Gen, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-24
Updated: 2012-05-24
Packaged: 2017-11-25 16:58:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/641113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreeZ_Claire/pseuds/BreeZ_Claire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Is it really that hard to ask for a little bathroom time?</p>
<p>Part one of the As Days Go By series where Gwaine, Lance, Arthur, and Merlin share a flat and their day-to-day shenanigans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Morning Rush

“GWAINE! For the love of all that is holy, open up this door right now!” Merlin pounded the door several more times and for the fifth time that morning debated whether or not to implode the door with magic. The doorknob slowly opened to reveal Gwaine wrapped in a towel with a smirk.

"Alright there Merlin, I'm out, I'm out. No need to get your knickers in a bunch." The half-naked man saunter off to his room.

**_xXx_**

_Hi, I’m Merlin and this is my typical morning. Gwaine, one of my three flatmates, spends a lifetime in the shower each morning before heading off to work at a modelling agency. The only thing is that he doesn’t have to be at work until noon whereas I have to be in the car by seven-thirteen sharp at the latest if I’m going to get to work on time. So why the man needs to take over the bathroom all morning is a mystery to me._

**_xXx_ **

"There better still be hot water left in the shower!" Merlin called after him. He turned and was just about to enter the steaming bathroom when a strong hand pulled him back out again.

"Sorry Merlin, I'm running late!" Lance scurried in and closed the door leaving Merlin confused and a tiny bit pissed off.

"Lance! You don't even work today; you have the day off!" He flailed his arms about as if to help make his point.

"Sorry Merlin, but I promised Gwen I'd take her to the Writer's Conference today and the taxi will be here any minute."

Merlin groaned and slumped against the wall. Maybe he could look into buying a new place. A place with more than one bathroom. He got up to peer down at the ground floor of his flat. The glass tables and white leather upholstery covering the couches screamed a type of wealth and elegance that Merlin clearly did not have. The place had a type of mashed-up look to it though, messy but orderly at the same time just like the people who lived in it. The flat was richly decorated and well stocked with food, which of course was mandatory since it had to feed four grown men.

It never crossed his mind that he’d ever end up living in a place like this. After all, any guy straight out of college would be lucky to find a place to stay let alone be offered a gorgeous flat like this. So when he came upon an ad in the newspaper of three men looking for another roommate –with a rent that made Merlin’s mouth practically water —Merlin was practically hopping with relief. Little did he know that the rent was only so small due to the hell he had to put up with three rich-beyond-your-wildness-imagination-with-unbelieveably-rich-families men.

It was very obvious from his first few steps into the flat that he was in way over his head, but the men were insistent about getting a new flatmate. Apparently they had scared away all the other applicators with their…elaborate lifestyle.

Gwaine led a life of parties and fed off a continuous string of one-night stands. Lance was a very well known doctor and when he wasn't busy saving the lives of cardiac patients, he and Gwen were busy planning their upcoming wedding. Arthur was the top something-or-rather of Manhattan's largest law firm, Pendragon LLC., and coupled with his dashing charm and good looks, got almost as much action as Gwaine.

So if three handsome, successful, rich, men living together in one apartment weren’t intimidating enough, putting them all together in one room turned it into party central. Merlin couldn't remember the last night he was able to fall asleep without wearing earplugs and headphones due to the mayhem going on below him. He had already had his fair share of midnight raids, drunken fights, drunken women –and men—wandering into his room looking for a booty call, taking care of hung-over guests first thing in the morning, sending women home in a taxi and telling them that "of course he'll call you tomorrow!" It was, however, a small price to pay when looking at all the up sides.

He was, alas, an aspiring writer still looking for a solid job at the time, and he needed the cheap apartment more that anything right now. And if that meant living with three party animals –maybe not so much Lance —so be it.

By the time he heard the doorknob jiggle he was all but ready to bolt into the bathroom. When he heard the click he was already in an Olympic runner ready position and just about ready to spring when Arthur pulled him into a head-lock at the last moment.

"And where do you think you're going?" he sound much too jolly for a man who woke up not three hours ago complaining about a raging hangover before crashing back to bed.

"Arthur, stop it! I'm going to be late for work!" He struggle under the large arm of Arthur Pendragon until he was swing around and let go in the opposite direction of the now opened door.

"Sorry mate but you'll have to wait." The bathroom locked once again.

Merlin saw a flash of red and resisted the urge to set something on fire while Lance just chuckled lightly and hurried downstairs, throwing him a sympathetic shrugged. _What can you do?_ itseemed to say. He was halfway through counting back from ten when Arthur's voice taunted him. "Plus you can't be late if I'm late; you're my assistant after all."

That's right; he worked for one of his flatmates as an assistant. It's wasn't the most glamorous job but it put money in Merlin's pocket. It was a strange story how that happened to be, Arthur had walked in on Merlin unpacking when he saw the incredible war zone that was his room. Apparently Arthur's current assistant couldn't tell right from left and he didn't have time to hold interviews so he offered Merlin the job on the spot. They argued for a considerable time after that:

"Oh, well thank you very much your highness, but I don't know anything about law firms," he’d spat out sarcastically. It was true that he hadn’t a clue about law firms though.

"Nonsense, I won't take no for an answer. Your organization skills obviously need considerable toning and being an assistant ought to whip you into shape just fine. Plus I've been dying to firing that floozy for about a month now.”

“While I appreciate you hiring me under the sheer pretense of training me like a puppy, the answer is no. I went to school for a reason and that was to become a writer, not a lawyer’s assistant.” Arthur had indulgently rolled his eyes at that.

“All you have to do is follow my instructions and do everything I tell you to, got it? Believe me, work for me for a few months and you'll have enough money to write, publish, and print your own book! How does that sound?"

To be honest it sounded pretty damn good. But here he was almost an entire year later and he had yet to find another job. On top of that, he was working for a pompous know-it-all that knew everything about making and supporting arguments which made saying 'no' a very difficult thing to do.

The door clicked and Arthur walked out, "All yours Merlin." He glanced at his watch, "Ooo, you'd better hurry up or we're going to be late. Well unless you could conjure us up a magical flying car or even better yet, teleport us there." With a final smirk he made his way downstairs. Merlin could still hear the laughter as he finished up in the bathroom and stomped downstairs.

"Stupid prats…the lot of them…"


End file.
